Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez has filed a lawsuit against the judge who is investigating his wife over corruption allegations. Mr Sánchez lodged the complaint via the state lawyer, who claimed that the magistrate Juan Carlos Peinado had perverted the course of justice with his inquiry. Mr Peinado is investigating allegations of influence trafficking against the prime minister’s wife Begoña Gómez.
In a highly controversial move the judge questioned Mr Sánchez in his official residence as a witness in the investigation on Tuesday morning. The Socialist leader refused to respond to questions, according to his constitutional right. Ms Gómez also refused to answer when the judge questioned her earlier this month.
This was the first time that a prime minister had been summoned to testify as a witness in a criminal investigation since 2017. Mr Sánchez had asked that he be allowed to give written answers instead of facing the judge in person, a request Mr Peinado refused.
That refusal was at the root of Mr Sánchez’s subsequent legal complaint. He alleged that the law allowed him to given written answers due to his position as prime minister. However, the judge insisted that he was not questioning Mr Sánchez in that role but exclusively as the husband of Ms Gómez.
“It is [Mr Sánchez’s] position, not his civil status, which is the only relevant issue when it comes to any question linked to this investigation,” read the complaint against Mr Peinado presented by the state lawyer, which described as “incomprehensible, legally speaking” that the prime minister should not be able to give written answers.
The judge opened the investigation in April after a far-right campaign group claimed that Ms Gómez had used her position as wife of the prime minister to influence the awarding of government contracts and Covid bailout money to firms with which she had links. More recently the investigation has focused on whether she had unlawfully secured sponsors for a university course she ran.
The government and its allies have attacked the investigation as an attempt by the political right to destabilise Mr Sánchez’s coalition government. Government spokeswoman Pilar Alegría said Mr Peinado’s visit to the prime minister’s residence was “a set-up” which aimed to “erode the image of the government”.
The opposition, meanwhile has called on Mr Sánchez to resign over the issue. Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, which has joined the lawsuit against Ms Gómez, said that the prime minister’s legal complaint means “he is going to start a witch hunt against the judges who dare observe the law”.
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